Many types of product storage and display devices, such as shelves, gondolas, tables, racks, pallets, and other shelving assemblies, exist in today's marketplace for displaying and/or storing products and increasing product storage space. Hereinafter, the terms “shelf,” “shelves,” and “shelving assembly” refer to any product supporting device, storage device or surface used to support, display or store products.
Such shelves often support heavy product loads, thereby making it difficult to move the shelves. Structural rigidity is important for these shelves, which are typically manufactured with strong, heavy materials such as steel or other metals. Moving such shelving is difficult, whether the shelves are loaded with merchandise or empty.
Shelving assemblies in retail environments are often moved to accommodate ever-changing space requirements and marketing strategies. Moving these shelving assemblies can be performed in a variety of conventional methods. However, limitations and problems exist with many such conventional methods, particularly when the shelves are moved without the aid of any lifting equipment. For example, when manually picking-up the assembled shelves or disassembling the shelves and carrying the disassembled pieces individually, movers may injure themselves or damage the shelves. To try to limit such injuries and damage, the displayed merchandise is often unloaded from the shelves to reduce the weight of the shelving assembly and make it easier for the movers to lift it. However, typically, the shelving assembly is still heavy and difficult to pick up, even after the merchandise is removed. Moreover, manually picking up assembled shelves can take several people and be very time consuming. Disassembling shelving assemblies prior to moving them reduces the potential for injuring movers; however, unloading product from the shelves, disassembling the shelves, moving the shelves, reassembling the shelves, and reloading product onto the shelves is a time-consuming process.
Alternatively, shelving assemblies can be moved with the aid of a variety of mechanical devices. For example, forklifts may be used to move shelves by positioning the forks of the lift under the shelving assembly and lifting it off the ground. However, the shelves may be damaged when sliding the forks underneath them. The shelves may also fall from the forklift if they are not steadily supported on the forks, thereby damaging the shelves or injuring people nearby.
Other mechanical devices used to move display shelving, such as pulley lift systems, typically have either a powered or manual pulley supported on an overhead track and a chain, strap, or other connecting member to connect the pulley to the shelf. Movement of the shelves, however, may be limited by the size and shape of the overhead track.
In light of the limitations and problems of the prior art described above, a need exists for an apparatus that can move shelving assemblies in a time efficient manner, without undue manual labor, and without damaging the shelves. Each embodiment of the present invention achieves one or more of these results.